This event will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 6/30 at the Tinley Park Convention Center, 18451 Convention Center Drive. The event will feature music by Big Wig Mechanic, Billy's Boys and Gone 2 Paradise, which is billed as the ultimate Jimmy Buffett tribute. There also will be food, drinks, music and beach fun at Parrot Head Palooza. Prepaid tickets are $25 and include a choice of four beers or two cocktails and a choice of cheeseburger, bratwurst, hot dog or Parrot Legs. Information: (708) 342-5485.

More information for visitors to the region can be found at the Chicago Southland Convention & Visitors Bureau website at visitchicagosouthland.com.

Because tailgating is such an important part of the Jimmy Buffett concert experience, Live Nation has secured the approval for fans attending the Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band concert at First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre on June 30 at 8 p.m. the opportunity to tailgate prior to the concert for this one show only.

The parking lots at First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre will open at 2 p.m. on June 30, allowing for fans attending the concert to tailgate prior to the doors opening. Tailgating is permitted prior to the show only, and fans cannot remain in the parking lots during the show. Fans will not be permitted to bring trailers, boats or Port-o-Lets into the parking lots on their own.

And, for those fans who have their own oversized vehicles, there will be an additional parking fee for anything that takes up space greater than a standard parking spot. Once the show is over, all vehicles will have to be removed from the parking lots -- there will be no overnight parking permitted.

Live Nation welcomes the opportunity to allow for all of Jimmy Buffett's fans to celebrate in the manner to which they have become accustomed, which includes the preshow tailgating experience. While this is being permitted for this show only, First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre trusts that all in attendance will welcome this opportunity, and will act accordingly to help secure the opportunity to offer tailgating in the future if the experience calls for it.

This is an hour-and-a-half earlier than the original 3:30 p.m. start to the tailgating time, so I'm curious if that changes any minds of those who commented previously that they were going to skip this concert due to the tailgating restrictions. I hope you Buffett fans will leave a comment and share what you think about this change, and I'd also like to hear from those of you who are planning on attending this show.

(POSTED 3/29) It took a while to address the concerns that you commenters posted about tailgating, and I appreciate your patience. I also wanted to thank Patti Betz, a St. Louis fan who called me regarding whether or not tailgating would be allowed for the 6/30Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band concert at First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre, 19100 S. Ridgeland Ave., Tinley Park, (708) 614-1616.

According to Jon Reens, senior director of marketing/Midwest for Live Nation, the lot will open at 3:30 p.m. 6/30 and tailgating will be permitted prior to the show (and only for this event). He said people will not be allowed to remain in the parking lots during the show, and no boats, trailers or Port-O-Lets may be brought in. He added that there will be no overnight parking allowed in the lots after the event.

(POSTED 3/22)Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band will perform at 8 p.m. 6/30 at First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre, 19100 S. Ridgeland Ave., Tinley Park, (708) 614-1616. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. 4/02, and there will be an eight-ticket limit per customer. Tickets will be available at Ticketmaster.com, all Ticketmaster outlets and charge by phone at (800) 745-3000. Ticket prices are subject to applicable fees.

Here's a look at the official press release for the show:

Chicago, the wait is over. Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band return to First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre for the first time in five years for one night only on Saturday, June 30 at 8 p.m. as part of Jimmy Buffett's Lounging at the Lagoon Tour 2012.

Local Parrotheads won't want to miss their chance to soak in the full Margaritaville experience. Jimmy will have a new live CD/DVD this summer, which was recorded in Las Vegas last October. It will be released on Jimmy's own Mailboat Records. And Jimmy's first digital album release, "Volcano - Live 2011," is now available for download through iTunes, and contains new live versions of the songs from this classic album.

Additionally, the game Margaritaville is now available online. It's an island virtual world filled with music, adventure and the Margaritaville lifestyle.

The latest on the FYI on FMBA blog about First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre in Tinley Park features news about One Direction, Jason Mraz, Drake, Kiss, Motley Crue, Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band, the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival and Rasc... Read More

The latest updates on the FYI on FMBA blog about First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre in Tinley Park, IL, have included news on concerts featuring Jimmy Buffett, Wiz Khalifa, Mac Miller and Jason Aldean. Get the scoop at blogs.southtownstar.com/fmba. Read More

First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre in Tinley Park has announced an earlier start to the tailgating time for the June 30, 2012 concert featuring Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band. FYI on FMBA at blogs.southtownstar.com/fmba features what Jon Reens, s... Read More

The latest updates on FYI on FMBA at blogs.southtownstar.com/fmba have included news about the following 2012 concerts booked at First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre in Tinley Park: Drake, Jimmy Buffett, Big Time Rush and Rockstar Energy Drink UPROAR Festival. Read More

The latest updates on FYI on FMBA have included several interviews with artists booked at First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre in Tinley Park. These features include the Devil Wear's Prada's Mike Hranica, In This Moment's Maria Brink and Linkin Park's Mike ... Read More

First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre in Tinley Park hosted 18 concerts during its 2012 season from June to September. FYI on FMBA would love to know what was your favorite show of the year, so leave a comment at blogs.southtownstar.com/fmba and share your t... Read More

I'm sure you've heard by now. The lot is opening at 3:30, but with the arrangement they have, there's little to no tailgating. We will not go to this dump and travel to a venue that will accommodate their guests.

Not going this year and it seems like lots of people agree with me. Just looked on TicketMaster and there are 1,253 pavillion seats and countless lawn seats still available. Add to that the ones scalpers are hawking online and the stadium is going to be more empty than the parking lot. Somebody tell Jimmy he needs to get back to his roots.

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Jessi Virtusio

Whether you call it World Music Theater, New World Music Theater, Tweeter Center Chicago or First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre, this outdoor venue in Tinley Park has featured cool concerts every summer since 1990. FYI on FMBA is your source for concert previews, stories from the stage and everything else you need to know before and after going to a show. Click on the archives link below to get the full list.